Idlib

Rebels have surrounded a key government stronghold in the northern city of Idlib, according to a fighter with the jihadi Ahrar al-Sham brigade.

Speaking to the Guardian’s Mona Mahmood, Abu Alyaman said:

We have surrounded the marble factory in Idlib for 15 days now. The regime converted it into a base for the security services because of its strategic position in the city. We call it the ‘factory of death’ because of the endless mortars and shells launched from it.

At least 1,000 rebels are involved from different brigades, including Ahar al-Sham, Tawheed, al-Haq, Dera al-Jabel and Amjad al-Islam.

If we liberate the factory, it would herald the beginning of the full liberation of Idlib. The factory is full of military men. We fire mortars against them everyday and block any reinforcements. But the army inside continue to shoot back. We are hoping they will run out of ammunition.

We are using tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery and mortars which we confiscated from the regime.

Once the factory is defeated, we will focus on the international route in Ariha town and then we will be able to declare Idlib liberated.

We believe it is useless to negotiate with a bloody and criminal regime. The regime needs to have an internal dialogue to review all its crimes against the Syrian people.

It would be too risky to negotiate. The regime would not hesitate to use cars bombs to kill the negotiators.

They can only be forced from office. They only understand the language of violence.

We have fighters in Damascus who have taken part in the operations including car bombings. They try to protect civilians. If they think there are innocent people around the target, they will cancel the whole operation. Even Jabhat al-Nusra would not set up cars bombs in populated areas.

We try to avoid suicide bombings. We prefer to fight.

3.13pm GMT

Oldest Syrian refugee?

A 105-year-old woman has joined the exodus of refugees from Syria, the UN's refugee agency has revealed.

The UNHCR head of communications Melissa Fleming said the woman fled to Jordan's Za'atari camp last night.

No other details about the woman have been released.

Melissa Fleming (@melissarfleming)

Last night a 105 year old woman fled her #Syria homeland and became a refugee in Jordan.

US policy on Syria

In the latest press conference on his nine-day tour of Europe and the Middle East, he said the US hoped to find ways to speed up a political transition in Syria and would discuss ideas at the Friends of Syria meeting later this week.

Speaking alongside his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, Kerry said: "We are examining and developing ways to accelerate the transition the Syrian people seek and deserve."

French foreign minister Laurent Fabius (right) and US secretary of state, John Kerry, after a news conference in Paris on Wednesday. Photograph: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

Updated at 2.35pm GMT

2.11pm GMT

Refugees

The official number of Syrian refugees looks set to exceed one million people in early March, the UN’s refugee agency has confirmed but the actual number fleeing the conflict is “substantially higher”.

Since early January around 40,000 people have fled Syria every week. We are seeing people registering as refugees at a faster rate than has ever happened. That’s partly because we have increased our capacity to register people, but it is partly too because people are fleeing Syria in very large numbers.

The number of officially registered refugees, and those awaiting registration, currently stands at 936,717. Edwards added: "At the rate we are going, we are going to cross that [million person] thresh hold in March, and probably early March."

We know every single individual who has come to us and been registered. They are indicative of the trend, they are not absolute numbers. In all the surrounding countries the governments are reporting higher numbers of refugees. We know that the real number of refugees in the region is substantially higher than the registered figures suggest.

He pointed out that under UN rules humanitarian agencies have to get the consent of host governments to go across borders.

For the moment we are still in a position of having to negotiate on a case by case basis to get access to where ever we can. We are getting aid to hundreds of thousands of people but the needs in Syria are substantially more than that. It is a big preoccupation of all us in the humanitarian community.

Edwards confirmed that the UNHCR has negotiated with rebel groups to gain humanitarian access. He added that the UN’s office of humanitarian affairs is trying to co-ordinate humanitarian access for a number of aid agencies.

The problem is that the refugees fleeing the country and the need inside the country is escalating at a much faster rate than the money is arriving.

You’re seeing a 60% increase in the number of refugees arriving just in 2013 alone, meanwhile aid is coming in at a somewhat slower rate.

We requested $496m of this $1.5bn. In our case we about 30% funded. So yes money is coming in, it needs to come in much faster.

There is this focus on this $1.5bn but remember that is the money simply for the first half of 2013. This is a crisis that seems to be heading well beyond that period, and is continuing to grow with continuing needs. So we will at some point be going back to donors.

A refugee walks with her two children at Za'atari Syrian refugee camp, near the Syrian border in Mafraq, Jordan. Photograph: Mohammad Hannon/AP

Updated at 2.23pm GMT

11.41am GMT

Iraqi concerns

Turkish and Qatari support for Syrian rebels is tantamount to a declaration of war against Iraq, according to member of Iraq's Shia-led government.

In an interview with Reuters, Hadi al-Amiri, transport minister and head of the formerly armed Badr Organisation, accused Ankara and Doha, which support the opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, of arming jihadi groups in Syria, where many Sunni militants are fighting, including the al-Qaida-approved Jabhat al-Nusra.

He said:

Presenting money and weapons to al- Qaida (in Syria) by Qatar and Turkey is a declaration of armed action against Iraq. These weapons will reach Iraqi chests for sure ...

Using militias again is a big mistake. If we (Shias) form militia and they (Sunnis) form militia, then Iraq will be lost.

Updated at 2.20pm GMT

9.43am GMT

Refugees

There is a surge in Syrians fleeing across the border to Jordan, AP reports citing officials.

A government spokesman for Syrian refugee affairs said that Jordan now hosts 418,529 Syrian refugees.

Anmar Hmoud says 2,490 Syrians crossed into Jordan overnight, with the numbers averaging about 3,000 per night in recent days.

By the end of March, Jordan could have as many as half a million Syrian refugees.

Some of those coming through unofficial border crossings find shelter in Jordan's Za'atari camp, now home to more than 105,700 refugees. Many more live among Jordanian families.

The camp has seen sporadic violent protests over its harsh desert conditions.

US officials remain opposed to providing weapons to the rebels. Elements of the proposed policy, which officials cautioned have not yet been finalised, are being discussed by secretary of state John Kerry in meetings this week and next with allies in Europe and the Middle East as part of a coordinated effort to end the bloody stalemate.

In Syria, we want a peaceful resolution. That’s our first choice. But if the president of the country decides he isn’t going to come and negotiate and he’s willing to just kill his people, then you need to at least provide some kind of support for those people who are fighting for their rights and for freedom and for some independence.